Persephone
by Katrina S. Forest
Summary: The spring goddess Hitomi has always led only the most luxurious life atop Mt. Atlantis, until the day she receives a proposal from the keeper of the underworld, Van. Hitomi is sure her life is over, but what if Van isn't the cold-hearted man she thinks?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne, the characters, these are copyrighted by their original creators. (I actually don't own the Greek mythology either. Go figure, ne?) 

Ratings/Warnings: Rating is PG. 

Summary: The goddess of spring Hitomi has always led only the most luxurious life atop the mountain of Atlantis... until the day she receives a proposal of marriage from the dismal keeper of the underworld Van. Hitomi is convinced her life is over, but what if Van is not the cold-hearted person she thinks he is? 

---------------------   
Persephone: Chapter 1   
by Katrina Kadabra   
  
Hitomi was the type of girl who had everything going for her. And why shouldn't she? She wasn't just a girl, after all, she was a goddess. The daughter of Demeter, keeper of the harvest and of the great Zeus, ruler of all Atlantis. A young women of such prestigious parentage deserved nothing but the best, or so Hitomi told herself. She had never been forced to work a day in her life, and saw nothing but the wonders of Atlantis and the rich beauties of the earth that her mother provided. Who would have thought, she told herself much later, that all this simplistic beauty could be taken away from her by one simple act on the part of the thunder god? 

Hitomi had little, if anything to do with her father. She spent most of her time with her mother, and the other goddesses who dwelt on Atlantis. Yet somehow Zeus still felt complete domination over her. And much to Hitomi's own objections, he saw absolutely no harm in doing with her as he pleased, even when his older brother Van came to him asking for his daughter's hand in marriage. 

Van was the god of the underworld, and certainly the least popular of his siblings among the other gods of Atlantis. A dark and dismal character, he saw enough pain and suffering in one day to drain the compassion out of any of the Olympians for a lifetime. It wasn't that he was an evil tyrant, Demeter explained to her daughter. It was just understood that proper goddesses like Hitomi simply did not associate with him. But despite any proprieties it might be breaking, Van had had fallen in love with the spring goddess the moment he caught sight of her. He had seen her roaming the earth with her mother several times before and in those few moments, he had come to decision. He was determined to have Hitomi as his wife, no matter what the price. 

Van decided to consult his younger brother Zeus on the dilemma, who had some similar feelings for an innumerable amount of women. So Van was sure that Zeus could devise a plan to lure Hitomi to him. 

His hunch was absolutely correct, for Zeus came up with an idea so quickly, his brother suspected he had it planned ahead of time. Zeus would create an blossom, a flower of such irresistible beauty and place the fragrant flora in a meadow where Hitomi was sure to come by and find it. When she had been lured away from her friends, Van could them simply come up and grab her. The scheme sounded perfect, so Van agreed, thanked his brother for his assistance, and returned to the underworld to await his moment of action. 

The next day brought warm sun and delicate breezes. The perfect day, Hitomi thought, to go for a stroll through the beautiful fields of rare and delicate flowers at the foot of Atlantis, accompanied of course by two flower nymphs, designated to tend to her. 

Hitomi strolled lackadaisically through the natural garden. These were all very much the same blossoms she saw every other time she came here. Except for one. One deep and brilliant bloom of indigo and violet, whose satin petals opened up to the most divine fragrance that had ever enticed the young girl's nostrils. The moment Hitomi caught sight of that heavenly flower, she knew simply had to have it. She strayed from the group very quickly, hardly noticing she was doing so. As she reached down to grasp the flower's step, a shock of terror overcame her. The earth rumbled beneath her feet and split open before her. Hitomi screamed as Van arose from the depths in his jet black chariot, whisking her away into the darkness before she had a chance to call for help. The nymphs who witnessed the incident reported directly to Hitomi's mother. 

Demeter was infuriated at the act of misconduct against her daughter. She had never liked Van to begin with, not that anyone did. But to hear that he had the gall to try and take the goddess of spring for his wife, that was something Demeter would simply not tolerate. And her anger only made her all the more unwilling to compromise. "I swear," she said to Zeus. "Until my daughter if safely returned to me, I will not lift even a finger to let the earth bear its goodness." The ultimatum was not promising, as Zeus soon realized. Short of letting the earth fall into a barren wasteland, it seemed he had no other choice. He called for Hermes to retrieve Demeter's daughter from the lower world. 

Meanwhile, in the depths of the underworld, Hitomi was rather hysterical herself. Within a few days of her stay in the world of the dead, Hitomi lost much of her cheery disposition. Even her once fair skin had turned frigid and sickly pale. While preparing for their wedding, Van insisted that Hitomi remain with him at all times, both in his palace or wherever he happened to be throughout the day. She also had to dress completely in black and wear a gold bracelet that Van had given to her, a symbol of the mineral wealth that came from deep inside the earth, and a very appropriate for the new queen of the dead. 

Hitomi sulked every minute she spent alongside her groom-to-be, muttering that she'd rather live her life as a poor mortal girl in the gutter somewhere than tolerate another moment in Van's presence. "You know I don't do anything with the intention to make you miserable," Van said. "I love you deeply and want only for you to be in comfort." 

"Comfort!" Hitomi cried. "How can you say that? There is no comfort to be found around you, Van! All I want is to see my mother again!" She then followed with a series of insults, as many as she could think of the moment they came to her. When her list was exhausted, Hitomi ran crying to her room once again. Van let out a deep sigh. There seemed nothing he could do to bring his beloved goddess any closer to him. Any attempt to be friendly with her only pushed the willful girl farther and farther away. 

It was the next day when Hermes finally arrived ready to take Hitomi back to Atlantis. She was more than willing to go, Van was well-aware. But that didn't mean he would be so quick as to just give his bride away. "Hitomi, come here for a moment," he said, standing just outside her room as she busily hurried to get herself ready to leave. 

"Don't talk to me," Hitomi replied. "Hermes is here to bring me back home now. There's nothing you can do to keep here anymore and no reason why I should listen to a word you say." "If you'll just give a moment," Van said quietly. "I only want to speak with you before you leave. I also have a small gift I want to give you." 

A gift? At those words, Hitomi began to rethink herself. She was never one to refuse a present offered to her, she had a hard time resisting. And, she thought, if she humored Van for just a bit longer, she might possibly avoid having any future confrontation between him and her mother. That in mind, she agreed that she would come see Van just before she left. 

"Okay, what is it you wanted to talk to me about?" she asked. Van smiled and drew forth a small bit, seemingly out of nowhere from the blackness of his cloak. He held the object up for Hitomi to see. It was a tiny seed. 

"I wanted to give you this," Van said, placing the minute thing in Hitomi's palm. The girl skeptically raised an eyebrow. 

"That's it?" she asked. "What is it?" 

"It's a pomegranate seed," Van replied. "I know it's small, but think of it as my farewell gift to you. I wish you all the best on your return to Atlantis." 

Hitomi looked suspiciously up at Van. "You seem awfully calm about this," she noted. "I thought for sure you'd try to force me to stay here with you." 

"I can't disobey Zeus' order, can I?" Van asked. "I knew I never had a chance with you anyway. So please take it. It's my last request to you." 

Before Hitomi had a chance to reply, a voice called out from the entrance to the underworld. "Hitomi!" Hitomi gasped, she knew that voice very well. It was Hermes. "Hitomi, are you ready to go yet? We'll be late!" 

"Coming!" Hitomi replied, quickly popping the seed into her mouth. If it got Van off her back, what harm could be had in it? She was going hone now, and nothing else mattered. If only she knew how much a little act could make such a huge impact on her life. 

Upon her arrival to Atlantis, Hitomi leapt out of Hermes' golden chariot even before he had brought it to a complete stop. Her mother was there waiting for her, rushing up to take her in her arms. Tears filed the goddess' eyes as she once again held her precious child in her arms. However, something was still unsettled in her mind. This was indeed the heart-felt, warm and loving embrace each of them had longed for every day since their separation... except without the warm part of it. Looking back at her daughter, Demeter looked concerned, and rightfully so. Hitomi was a true goddess of Atlantis again, but somehow her skin was still pale and cold as it was in the lower world. Demeter instructed her daughter to go have a rest while she consulted Hermes about it. 

Hermes was quickly on the job, and after speaking to both Demeter and her daughter, he delivered some horrifying news. 

"I think both of you had better sit down for this," he said. 

"Don't instruct me what to do," Demeter retorted. "Just tell us what you know." Hitomi did not say a word, but decided to take Hermes' advice and slowly sat down on the marble bench closest to her. 

"You see," Hermes explained. "It seems that while right before Hitomi left the lower word, Van gave her a pomegranate seed to eat. And as much as I hate to be the one to tell you this, that seed had insured her return to the lower word." 

"What?" Demeter exclaimed. "How can that be? Explain it!" Hermes fell back a bit at Demeter's forceful demand. But he quickly regained himself and continued with his explanation. "In a sense, really, accepting that gift meant that Hitomi has accepted Van as her husband. She has already taken a vow she cannot go back on. But also..." he hesitated. "Also it is impossible for one who has eaten in the realm of the dead to ever return completely to the upper world." 

Hitomi's heart sunk with every word she heard and slowly she felt herself starting to break down to tears. How could she have been so foolish? She allowed Van to trick her. And when she was so close to finally escaping him. 

"What am I going to do?" she wailed. 

"You stay here on Atlantis for now," her mother instructed her. "I'm going to go discuss this matter with Van." It was a few days journey for Demeter to make the trip to lower world and discuss things with her daughter's suitor. When she returned, she found Hitomi sitting just outside the gates of Atlantis, sobbing. Demeter put her arm around Hitomi to comfort her while she reflected on her visit. Van was willing to strike a bargain with them, but he wanted Hitomi to be there. He had arranged with Demeter to meet the two of them in the same field who Hitomi had first been taken away. Seeing as how she had no where else to go, Hitomi joined her mother. 

As Hitomi had suspected, Van had no intentions of letting her go. 

"You made a promise to me," he said. "But don't worry, I will make sure you are the happiest bride out of all the goddesses." He reached out to put his arm around her, but Hitomi roughly pushed him away. 

"Don't you get it?" she yelled. "I hate you! I can't stand being anywhere around you! Tell him, Mother. Please." She looked desperately to her mother for some support, but got only a melancholy response. 

"I can't tell him anything, my dear," she whispered sadly. "I'm afraid you'll have to do as he says." 

"But I hate him!" Hitomi objected. "I hate everything about him!" She looked back into Van' eyes, anger steaming within her. He had her backed down into a corner and she was sure he enjoyed every opportunity to taunt and dare her to find a way of escape. But of course, there was none. In realization that her case was a lost cause, Hitomi fell into her mother's arms and wept. Her heart shattered, Demeter made one final attempt to plead with Van to listen to reason. 

"Van, why can't you let her be? She's just a child." But the god had no compassion left in him and held firm. 

"Child or not, she has given herself to me. And you should know that she cannot break that vow. I refuse to allow it." 

Demeter scowled, but said nothing. Hitomi dried her eyes and turned to face Van again. 

"I'll accept your offer on one condition," she told him. "You have to let me go back to Atlantis for one week every month to be with my family. Promise me that and I will go with you." She knew she was in an unfavorable position to bargain, but she also knew that Van would do almost anything to get her back. Her intuition was correct, for Van granted her request without any need of persuasion. With that, she bid her mother good-bye, and allowed Van to lead her back to the underworld.   
  



	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne, the characters, these are copyrighted by their original creators. (I actually don't own the Greek mythology either. Go figure, ne?) 

Ratings/Warnings: Rating is PG. 

Summary: The goddess of spring Hitomi has always led only the most luxurious life atop the mountain of Atlantis... until the day she receives a proposal of marriage from the dismal keeper of the underworld Van. Hitomi is convinced her life is over, but what if Van is not the cold-hearted person she thinks he is? 

ADDITIONAL NOTES: Just wanted to clear something up, as there was some confusion about this when I first posted "Persephone" on MediaMiner. Apparently my fanfiction sounds very similar to another one on FF.net called "The Goddess and the King," but I can promise everyone they are not the same, nor have I tried to steal anyone else's idea for a fanfic. (I actually have yet to read "Goddess and the King" though I admit, I'm curious.) I first wrote "Persephone" as an original story five years ago. Then I saw a fanfiction contest on MediaMiner for "Fairytales Retold" so I decided to adapt my old story to an Escaflowne fanfiction (mostly because I couldn't think of any other anime that it would fit better to.) Before this, I had not read or written any Escaflowne fanfiction at all, even though I'd seen all of the series and the movie. (Don't know why, just never got around to it.) If anyone actually *wants* to read the original Persephone story I wrote five years ago, let me know and I'd be happy to post it on FictionPress. I just didn't think there would be any interest, since it was such an old story. Thanks for understanding and I apologize if I caused any confusion for anyone, especially Love Witch. That said, on with the story... ^_^ 

---------------------   
Persephone: Chapter 2   
by Katrina Kadabra 

Hitomi wept for the entire journey down to the lower world and went on doing so for some time after that. Despite his impatience with her, Van decided to leave Hitomi alone to her sorrows, at least for the first day. And she in turn, was perfectly content for him to do just that and stay in her own room the remainder of the day while he about his business. But when evening came and Hitomi still had not left her quarters once all evening, Van began to worry for her and wonder what she was up to. 

"Is there anything I can do for you?" he asked, standing outside her closed doorway. 

"No," Hitomi answered in the same cold and sorrow-ridden voice she had arrived with. "I only want to be left alone." 

"Well..." said Van hesitantly. "If there is, you'll come to me?" 

"Not likely," Hitomi answered and refused to speak anymore. Satisfied as he was going to get, Van retired for the evening himself while Hitomi lay awake several long hours after that mourning for her mother. There was no solace for her until the next day when she received a visit from Zeus' messenger, Hermes. 

One of Hermes' duties was to guide the souls of the dead to the lower world, and, consequently, he had met Van and Hitomi many times before. Most of the time, however, he simply went about his business and left the monarchs of the dead to do the same. But, today, he made an exception and went to try and comfort Hitomi. 

She was overjoyed to see him, as she would have been to see anyone other than Van, and was altogether ecstatic when she heard he had news for her. 

"Your mother missed you terribly," he said. "As does Zeus for that matter. He even created a new flower in your honor..." 

Hearing about her mother lifted Hitomi's sprits considerably and brought on dozens of other questions. What were her friends up to? Was her mother feeling all right? As many questions as she could think, she asked, until Zeus summoned Hermes again. At this, he bade her a quick farewell and promised to take a few moments the next day to stop by and tell her what was going on and to take messages for her mother. That's somewhat comforting," Hitomi thought to herself. "But I'm still not going to see Van for any reason." 

Hitomi was a girl of her word. Van had made several requests for her to join him at his work throughout the day, but she declined from all of them. Finally, against his better judgement, he ordered her to accompany him at the evening meal, at which point, reluctant as she was, she could not disprove. 

Dinner was not as pleasant as Van had envisioned it. Ideally, he wanted Hitomi to be sitting right next to him, but she insisted on sitting on the opposite end of the table and was careful to keep what conversation there was brief. 

"What did you want me for?" she asked angrily. 

"I wanted you to stop sulking," he replied. "You've didn't even leave that room until now, and you haven't eaten a thing since you got here." 

"I'm not hungry," she answered. She was about to say she wasn't hungry for what he had to offer, but she then thought the better of it and stopped her sentence short. Van suspected this sort of response, as weaning a strong willed goddess like Hitomi from nectar and ambrosia was quite a difficult task. He tried throughout the meal to get her to open up to him, but getting her to speak was enough of a challenge in itself. 

"Will you tell me more about you?" 

"I'd rather not." 

"What have you been doing all day?" 

"Mostly sleeping, crying." 

"Will you come out and join me in my work tomorrow?" 

"Not very likely." 

Seeing he was getting nowhere, Van finally excused Hitomi and she immediately rushed back to her room with no plans to come out again until Hermes visited the next day. 

Hermes arrived without fail first thing in the morning. This time, however, before he went to see Hitomi, Van stopped him. 

"Listen, Hermes, when you're done talking to Hitomi, I want you to come see me. And make sure not to mention anything about it to her." 

"Yes, of course," Hermes replied obediently, and with that, he flew to Hitomi's chambers. 

Hitomi welcomed her visitor warmly and asked all her usual questions, instructing Hermes to tell her mother that she missed her very much and she thought of her every day. Hermes nodded to acknowledge Hitomi's words, but inside there was something distressing him. He just wondered if he should say anything or not. 

"You're looking a bit pale," Hermes finally commented as he turned to leave. "Are you feeling okay?" 

"I'm fine," Hitomi replied. It was a weak cover up, considering the fact that Hermes seemed to have a natural skill for knowing instantly was wrong. 

"You're not eating are you?" he asked. 

"Well, no." 

"You're really should, you know." 

"I'll think about it," she answered. Satisfied with that, Hermes left her and went to find Van, who was having problems of his own. He had no clue how to deal with Hitomi in her stubbornness, and he hoped that Hermes had some suggestions. 

"Well, I convinced her to consider coming to dinner tonight," Hermes informed him. "Just give it some time. She's really worked up about all this, and, frankly, I don't blame her. These past few days have been really rough. She can't snap out of it just like that." 

"Well, she had better snap out of it soon," said Van. "I'm getting sick of her sobbing and moping around from dawn to dusk every single day," 

"Just be patient with her and she'll open up to you soon enough," Hermes assured him. "Now, I'd love to stay, but I've got work to do." He then left and hurried back to Atlantis. Van decided to take his advice and let Hitomi adjust on her own. Nothing else he had tried had worked yet, and in the mean time, he had work to do himself. 

That evening, just as Hermes had predicted, Van had a visitor at the evening meal when Hitomi joined him about halfway through. Van said nothing, but simply allowed her to sit where she pleased and take her fill. Neither did she speak to him and, for the most part avoided eye contact, which was difficult, as Van was glancing in her direction for the majority of time she was there. She ate lightly, Van noticed, but nevertheless it was something. For her to accept at all was a gesture of trust in itself . Within a few minutes, she was satisfied and returned to her solitude. Van smiled at the thought that maybe, just maybe, he would start to warm up to her soon. 

Over the next few weeks, Hitomi put her husband's patience to the test. She was starting to get used to the routine of being on her own most of the day, although she occasionally joined Van at his work when all else had failed to keep her occupied. 

As often as he could, Van tried to distract her from her constant weeping for her mother, which was not easy. Ideally, he wanted to able to comfort her, but since he was the source of all her misery in the first place, she was not quick to rely on him for condolences.   
  
  



	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne, the characters, these are copyrighted by their original creators. (I actually don't own the Greek mythology either. Go figure, ne?) 

Ratings/Warnings: Rating is PG. 

Summary: The goddess of spring Hitomi has always led only the most luxurious life atop the mountain of Atlantis... until the day she receives a proposal of marriage from the dismal keeper of the underworld Van. Hitomi is convinced her life is over, but what if Van is not the cold-hearted person she thinks he is? 

---------------------   
Persephone: Chapter 3   
by Katrina Kadabra 

The loss of Demeter's daughter had indeed been a tragic event for those on Atlantis, but on earth there was excitement brewing. Allen, the son of Zeus and greatest hero ever known, was engaged to be wed to the princess Marlene. Marlene was kind and gentle, not the mention the envy of every girl in town. Allen loved her deeply, mostly because he was one of the few women who loved him for his personality, not just his looks. 

The wedding was a beautiful event, except for the few times Marlene had to remind Allen to go easy on the wine. When he got excited, he often forgot how powerful his strength was. Everyone from far and wide came to see the happy couple off. However, there was a dark shadow looking over the happy occasion. Allen was the son of Zeus, but not of Hera, which made the queen of the immortals furious with jealousy and determined to kill Allen. The problem was that she had done everything in her power to no avail. Allen seemed physically invincible. His mental strength however, was the weaker end of him. He often made rash decisions and could become very emotional under certain circumstances. As Hera saw it, all she had to do was arrange these circumstances and the great hero would be his own end. 

By the time the plot was prepared and ready to be unleashed, Allen was the proud father of three children, the youngest not more than a few months old. One afternoon when he sat gathered with his children, Hera sent Allen into complete insanity, forcing him to murder the two oldest. Upon hearing the commotion, Marlene rushed in. She knew instantly Allen was not in his own state of mind but was not about to stand back and watch her children fall. She leapt in front of her husband and he approached the baby and tried to hold him back as she took the infant in her arms. With all his strength, Allen threw both of them to the floor and then his sanity returned to him. 

Allen was horrified at the sight he saw before him. What had happened to his beautiful wife and children? They had just been talking a moment ago, and there they were dead on the floor. His friend, Theseus, had witnessed this and told him the story. Allen was immediately moved to tears. Theseus tried his best to comfort him. 

"She knew what was happening. She doesn't blame you, I'm sure. Don't take this out on yourself." 

"What can I do then?" Allen asked. 

"Talk to the oracle at Delphi. Ask what you can do to pay for this crime." Allen nodded, willing to do anything. The oracle then led him to King Eurystheus, who was to come up with twelve impossible labors for Allen to accomplish. 

King Eurystheus was a bit surprised at Allen's story, but nevertheless agreed. He had heard from Hera that Allen would come to him, asking for the twelve tasks. The goddess hoped that at least one of them would overwhelm the hero and at last bring him to his end. 

The first talk Eurystheus felt was rather clever on his part. Allen was to destroy the Nemian lion. It would have been a simple thing to do, except for the fact that the lion could not be harmed by weapons, not that Allen would let a minute detail like that stop him. He choked the life out of the lion with his bare hands and wore the lion's pelt to show off his victory as he marched back to the palace to find out what his second labor would be. 

The second labor proved a bit more formidable. Allen was to slay the multi-headed Hydra. He could use weapons this time, but they seemed to be of little use. Every time one head was chopped off, two more would grow in its place. To make matters worse, one of the Hydra's heads was immortal, and Hera had sent a mischievous little crab to pester Allen and distract him from his task. Then it occurred to Allen he had to find some way to stop the heads from growing. When a head was cut, he smothered the area with a torch, preventing any new heads from re-growing. The final immortal head he buried and the Hydra was killed. Allen had to return with a prize. So, he dipped his arrows in the Hydra's blood, making then deadly poisonous before he returned. 

The third labor was quite a challenge. Allen was to catch, but not kill, the golden stag which was sacred to Artemis. To kill it would have been simple, but to catch it was another matter. After getting permission from Artemis, Allen chased after the animal for a year before he finally caught it. Exhausted from the long chase, Allen was very grateful when Artemis offered to watch it for him as he journeyed back to the king. Afterwards, of course, she would release the stag back into its home. 

King Eurystheus, having assumed Allen had given up after he had been gone for a year, was quite surprised to see him return for his fourth labor. He decided it was best to stick to monster slaying. This time he sent Allen after the terrible Erymanthian boar. Allen smiled, promised to have a good wrestling match, and set out after the animal. Sure enough, he returned victorious in no more than a few days. 

Allen's next labor promised to be a quick one. In one day, he had to clean the filthy Augean stables, which had not only not been cleaned for years, but also housed thousands of cattle. To approach them without fainting from the overpowering stench was an accomplishment in itself. However, Allen didn't need to approach the stables at all. He simply changed the courses of two rivers, causing them to flow through the stables and finish the job for him. Satisfied, he returned to find out his next challenge. 

Back on the kill-an-animal trend, King Eurystheus sent Allen to kill the vicious and carnivorous birds of Lake Stymphalus. Needless to say, Allen was somewhat outnumbered, but overwhelmed the birds in strength. On his journey homeward, he suddenly realized that he had completed half of his torturing labors, and that soon he would have paid his debt in full. 

Once again, Allen was sent after an animal, but this time it was to be one-on-one. The Cretan bull was his next challenge. This labor gave Allen a rough idea of how Theseus had felt in dealing with the Minotaur. After that, he was of to rid the people of Thrace of the flesh-eating mares. The number of vicious animals there were to defeat somewhat overwhelmed him, but he nevertheless, did as he was instructed. It seemed that Hera was losing in her race to destroy Zeus' son. 

The ninth labor was a bit different. Allen didn't have to kill or capture anything. He did, however, have to face the fierce female warriors, the Amazons, since his next labor was to take the girdle from their queen, Hippolyte. She was very understanding after Allen explained the situation to her. The hero was permitted to take her girdle provided, naturally, that he return it immediately after he was finished with it. Allen gave her his word and thanked her graciously. He was very careful to be sure he returned the girdle promptly, as the Amazons were not a good people to get stirred up. 

The tenth labor was another adventurous type. Allen was to steal the oxen from Geryon, a three-headed giant, who also had Cerberus' two headed brother helping him. It proved an exciting struggle for the hero. He often wished he could just kill the oxen, but after exercising his strength and a lot of patience, he returned, once again, in victory. 

Meanwhile, King Eurystheus was becoming desperate. He knew Hera would be furious if Allen completed his tasks, yet only two remained. This time, he sent Allen to fetch the gold apples of Hesperides. This seemed impossible, since no mortal knew where the garden was. So, Allen consulted the Titan Atlas. Atlas had fought against Zeus when he overtook Olympus, and Zeus hadn't forgiven him. As punishment, Atlas was forced to bear the enormous weight of the heavens and earth upon his shoulders. Atlas said he would be glad to fetch the apples for Allen, if Allen would take his burden while he got them. Seeing as how he had no other options, Allen agreed. As he suspected, when Atlas returned with the apples, he wasn't all too anxious to take back the weight of the sky and earth. However, Allen tricked him by requesting that he hold the skies for just a moment while he caught his breath. Atlas was not all too bright and took back his burden while Allen left with the prize. 

"I've come to hear of my last labor," Allen announced upon his return. The king was running out of ideas. How much could a mortal accomplish on his own? He had faced all the greatest monsters and challenges known. Then the king remembered there was one thing all the mortals had to answer to sooner or later. Not even Allen could stand a chance against the gods of the dead. King Eurystheus was sure he had Allen now. 

"Very well, Allen," he answered, sneering. "For your final labor, bring me Cerberus, the three-headed hound who guards the entrance to the underworld."   
  
  



	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne, the characters, these are copyrighted by their original creators. (I actually don't own the Greek mythology either. Go figure, ne?) 

Ratings/Warnings: Rating is PG. 

Summary: The goddess of spring Hitomi has always led only the most luxurious life atop the mountain of Atlantis... until the day she receives a proposal of marriage from the dismal keeper of the underworld Van. Hitomi is convinced her life is over, but what if Van is not the cold-hearted person she thinks he is? 

---------------------   
Persephone: Chapter 4   
by Katrina Kadabra 

To say Allen was taken back by his final task would have been a massive understatement. But he nevertheless agreed to it. What else could he do? He had no clue how to go about accomplishing this assignment, but he figured finding the River Styx and following it to the entrance was a good place to start.   
After tracking the dark river through numerous valleys and passageways, Allen soon arrived at an eerie cavern, where the river flowed directly in. This had to be it. Allen took a deep breath and stepped inside. There was no going back now. 

Almost instantly, the floor beneath Allen's feet sloped abruptly downward. There was no light to be seen down the passage before him. Allen gulped and ventured forward. The walls of the cavern were cold to the touch and a musty aroma hung in the misty air. After a minute or so of hiking blindly down the river, a faint glow emerged from the darkness. Allen had found the dock where the river guardian Charon waited to take passengers across. He made no distinction between the living and the dead. As long as his passengers had a coin for him, he would gladly take anyone across. Allen did have a coin with him, so he was escorted down the river and farther into the depths of the lower world. When Allen arrived on the shore he thanked Charon and surveyed his surroundings. Van's palace, dark and majestic was within sight. Allen knew he couldn't take Cerberus without Van's permission, so he figured that was where he had to go. However, the three-headed dog blocked the entrance, snapping and growling. With a small shove, Allen pushed him aside and ran past. Cerberus couldn't leave his post, so he let Allen go. He knew his master would punish this mortal who had the nerve to push him around. 

Allen started down a path, not really caring which one. How many places could these paths lead? The hero was anxious and well prepared for a real fight with Cerberus later on, but there was one major conflict. He couldn't even find Van to get permission. He had taken so many twists and turns that he finally came to a dead end. As he stood pondering where he should go from here, the ground beneeth his feet suddenly gave way and he fell into a pit. 

"Ow..." Allen sat up and rubbed his head. The pit wasn't that deep; he would have easily been able to jump, but he couldn't see from this position what might be lurking right above his head, so he decided to take a moment to consider what to do next. It was dark and desolate as a chilly breeze swirled around him. Coincidentally, this was where Hitomi came to sit and relax every afternoon and in a few minutes she arrived and met up with Allen. She recognized the earth hero instantly and, needless to say, she was a bit surprised. 

"You're Allen, aren't you?" she asked. 

"Well, yeah. And you would be?" 

"Hitomi," she answered, offering her hand to help him out of the ditch. Allen accepted graciously. 

"You're Van's wife, right?" Allen asked. 

"Yes. That's right," Hitomi answered, although she preferred not to be thought of with that particular title. "What are you doing down here?" she asked, changing the subject to that of which her own curiosity was dying to discover. 

"Maybe you can help me," Allen suggested. 

"With what?" 

"I need Cerberus." 

"You need what?" 

"Cerberus," repeated Allen simply, as if it was a perfectly normal request. "I've been sent to perform twelve labors by King Eurystheus, and this is the last of the twelve. I have to do this." 

"I know," Hitomi answered. "You killed your wife and children." 

"How did you know that?" Allen inquired, rather annoyed. Hitomi sighed. 

"I've learned a lot . Now, Allen, about Cerberus. I'll let you take him to the upper world, but you must promise me you'll bring him back tomorrow." Allen gave her his word and she then, true to her own, summoned the three-headed beast and ordered him to subdue to Allen. Allen was disappointed, for he would have enjoyed overcoming the monster on his own, but nevertheless, he thanked Hitomi and set out on his way. His meeting with her had been surprisingly pleasant, and he was rather looking forward to seeing her again. Hitomi didn't know quite what to make of the whole incident. Seeing Allen reminded her of everything she was missing down in this dismal place, and made her long for home. The dashing hero had been quite the gentleman, Hitomi had to admit, but she then decided to put him out of her mind. It was bad enough she had allowed him to take Cerberus; she didn't need to have Van find out she enjoyed his company as well. 

Sure enough, Allen returned the next day and released Cerberus back into the underworld. Hitomi thanked him and was content to leave it that way until Allen made his confession. 

"I want to see you again, Hitomi," he told her. 

"I'm afraid that's impossible," she answered. "I only leave the underworld once a month to visit my mother on Mt. Atlantis, and you can possibly come to either of those places." 

"I can't come down here again?" 

"Not a third time, unless you want to face Death himself." 

"I would do that for you," Allen confided in her. Hitomi felt her face turn bright red. Did Allen know what he was saying? Despite any affections he may have had for her, she was still the goddess of the underworld, Van's wife. And besides that, she didn't even know if she had any feelings for Allen herself. Hitomi sighed. She knew he had good intentions, but she wasn't so sure if Van would see it that way. She insisted that Allen be on his way and never venture into the lower world again. Allen promised her this much, but kept pondering on how he could see her again without going down into her kingdom a third time. It was a challenging puzzle, and he was not quick in logic. Little did he know, logic was unnecessary, for everything would fall into place for him. 

* * * * * 

"Come here. I want to show you something," Van told Hitomi one afternoon as he led her down one of the hallways. Curious, Hitomi followed closely as her husband led her to an area of the palace she had not yet seen. Not far from where she spent most of her time was the quarters her husband retired to every night. It looked very much like her own, except that it was considerably larger. However, to Hitomi, everything in Van's realm looked the same – dark and lifeless. 

"It's… big," she commented, unsure of what else to say. 

"Yes," Van agreed. "That's one advantage of having this entire palace to yourself – you get huge accommodations. Of course, this isn't what I wanted to show you." He turned to face the wall through which they had just entered, which was not a solid barrier, but a series of shelves covering the entire side of the room. Each level was filled with an assortment of vases and urns picturing various gods or major events, like a huge storybook laid out on the wall. 

"Where did you get all these?" Hitomi asked in wonder. 

"I've just accumulated them over years. Many of then aren't made anymore. This one, for example." He picked out a typical urn seemingly at random and handed it to Hitomi. Its image showed one of the gods of Atlantis, although she wasn't sure which one specifically. He looked to have a kindly disposition, and must have been a friend of Artemis, as he was surrounded by animals. "Who is that?" she inquired. 

"You don't know?" Van asked her. Hitomi took a second look at the figure. He seemed isolated, with the rest of the Olympians in the background. The closest one was a likeness of Hera. Hitomi shook her head after a moment in response to Van's question. Sighing, he turned the urn around to reveal the name on the opposite side. 

"Van!" Hitomi exclaimed. "That's you?" Van nodded. "But it looks nothing like you," she protested. 

"Of course not," her husband answered, taking the urn and placing it back on the shelf. "That was before I came to live here." Hitomi sensed a long explanation was forthcoming. 

"As you know, we're all siblings," Van began. "Zeus, Hera, Demeter, Folken, Hestia and I, and Kronos was our father. Somehow or another he found out that one of us would overthrow him, so he swallowed us." 

"Swallowed you?" Hitomi asked in disbelief. 

"How else do you rid yourself of an immortal? Of course, we were all infants at the time. Anyway, our mother managed to save Zeus by tricking her husband into swallowing a rock in his place." 

"But how did you get out?" Hitomi inquired. 

"Zeus came back some years later and rescued us. That's when our father was overthrown and Zeus took over." 

"That doesn't explain how you came to be here." 

"Zeus, Folken and I agreed to share the earth, but we still had to decide amongst ourselves who would guard the heavens, the sea, and the underworld. Naturally, since he had rescued us and controlled the thunderbolt, Zeus took the heavens. Imagine! Our youngest sibling ruling Atlantis! Anyway, since Folken was the oldest, he claimed the seas for himself." 

"And that left you with the underworld," finished Hitomi. 

"Exactly. So now you know my life's story," said Van, turning away from Hitomi somewhat embarrassed. Up to this point, the story he had just told was known only between his siblings and himself. This was the first glimpse Hitomi got of his more compassionate side buried beneath the years of disgrace and personal humiliation. Hitomi had not yet decided whether his cruel nature was merely a guise or not. She wanted to talk more to find out, but he seemed to be unappreciative of any company for the night, so she politely excused herself and stayed in her own quarters for the remainder of the evening.   
  
  



	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne, the characters, these are copyrighted by their original creators. (I actually don't own the Greek mythology either. Go figure, ne?) 

Ratings/Warnings: Rating is PG. 

Summary: The goddess of spring Hitomi has always led only the most luxurious life atop the mountain of Atlantis... until the day she receives a proposal of marriage from the dismal keeper of the underworld Van. Hitomi is convinced her life is over, but what if Van is not the cold-hearted person she thinks he is? 

---------------------   
Persephone: Chapter 5   
by Katrina Kadabra 

Hitomi awoke bright and early the next day. She couldn't help it. Van's change of demeanor the previous night had made her curious, and she found herself wanting to know more about him. Not because she actually cared about him, she reminded herself. But there was just something about the way he told his story to her that night that made her wonder if perhaps he wasn't as cold-hearted as he seemed to let on. In either case, it gave her something to do aside from sitting alone all day. 

"What's this about?" Van asked skeptically when Hitomi not only joined him for breakfast, but also took the seat next to him. 

"What's what about?" Hitomi asked. She had thought her first move might have been a little too obvious, and apparently, she was right. 

"Sitting next to me at breakfast? You hardly ever come out of your room, much less to see me." Hitomi shrugged. 

"Well, I figured I might as well do something other than sit around all day, I was starting to get bored." 

"Oh, is that so?" Van asked. Hitomi could tell by his tone of voice that he probably didn't buy her story completely, but in any case, he didn't press the issue either. "Tell you what, after I'm done meeting with Hermes today, I'll take you for a stroll through the Elysian fields. How about that?" Hitomi pondered over the possibility and supposed it couldn't be so bad. 

"Alright," she agreed. "I'll be waiting for you." 

* * *

Meanwhile, Allen had been telling his friend Theseus of his romantic encounter with Hitomi. Allen was as light as a feather, but Theseus wasn't as overjoyed as he was. 

"Back up a second. You're telling me you've fallen in love with who?" 

"Hitomi," Allen told him. "She's…" 

"I know who she is. Have you lost your mind?" 

"No, why? What's wrong with her?" Allen still hadn't picked up on what Theseus was trying to say. All he knew was that he couldn't bear to never see her again, and any other details were insignificant. Theseus, however, was much more sensible and could foresee that this affection of Allen's would point him straight to trouble. 

"What's wrong with her? Have you lost every speck of common sense you've ever had? She's the Queen of the Dead!" 

"That doesn't matter," Allen answered. 

"It does if you're Van," Theseus warned. 

"She doesn't like him," Allen informed him. Theseus was ready to slap himself in the face. It seemed that nothing he could say or do would help Allen return to reality. 

"Even if that's true, who's to say she likes you anymore? I haven't heard any stories of her begging you not to leave yet." Theseus had made a good point. Allen wasn't sure how Hitomi felt about him, but Theseus' comment had made him all the more determined to find out. The obstacle now was how to go about doing it. Allen might have very well returned to the underworld a third time if it wasn't for a sudden tragedy that stuck without warning. 

Prior to his meeting with Hitomi, Allen had already proposed to another girl, as everyone was hoping he would. In truth, he had had little interest in her from the start, but had also been pressured into a relationship by many of his friends. They all agreed it wasn't good for a hero of his stature to spend the rest of his life mourning for his deceased family. He needed to start again. Allen decided to keep quiet until he knew for sure what Hitomi's feelings were for him. One afternoon when he stopped by to visit her, the two of them decided to take a stroll downtown to visit some friends. However, there was a river they needed to cross almost directly in front of the house. Allen offered to carry her across, but she complained that her beautiful new dress might get wet. 

The centaur guarding the river saw their predicament and offered to carry Allen's girl across for him. The two of them agreed, and Nessus scooped her up into his arms and began to carry her across. Soon, however, he heard screams when Nessus had made it halfway to the opposite bank. The centaur was attacking her. In his usual hero reflexes, Allen grabbed one of his arrows and shot Nessus down. Before Allen's girl returned to him, Nessus asked to speak with her. He said his blood was a remedy for Allen, should he ever have his eyes on another woman. All she had to do was get Allen to touch it. She was not one for blood but had noticed Allen did seem a bit light headed that morning and was not about to take chances. She called for Allen to go on ahead, and that she would meet up with him later. Allen agreed, oblivious to her motive. After Allen had gone, she gathered some of Nessus' blood and stashed it away before she rejoined Allen. 

Within a few days, Allen had forgotten all about the incident with Nessus, which was much more than what could've been said for his bride-to-be. The wedding was in two days, and Allen was still clearly distracted by something, or rather as she suspected, someone. He could very easily get caught staring into space, obviously deep in thought, for hours on end, only to return to reality and claim that he was "just thinking". She sat debating with herself for quite sometime. Surely it was wrong of her to suspect Allen of cheating on her, but what else was she to think? He had seemed constantly distracted lately, and she wanted nothing to get in the way of their wedding plans. At last, she made her decision. Taking the cloak Allen was to wear to day of the wedding she dipped it into the centaurs' blood she had stored and left it there to soak during the night. 

* * *

The walk through the Elysian Fields was... pleasant, if Hitomi was forced to put a word to it. As they made their way through the paths, Hitomi tried asking Van some more questions about his life, but he was completely silent. If she asked about the flowers they saw growing along the path, he might stop and point their names out to her. But he still wasn't willing to show anymore of himself than he had to. 

"Maybe I'm getting too hopeful..." Hitomi thought. "Maybe that night was just a fluke or something, and I'm trying to make light of my situation by pretending there's another side to Van that simply isn't there." She glanced up into his eyes. They still looked so dark and cold. Hitomi shook her head. Who was she kidding? Van was the guardian of the underworld, not some prince hidden by the darkness. His cold heart would never kindle a real love her, and she would not allow hers to do anything of the like either. So she told herself. 

The next day, while Hitomi was content to recline in her solitude, Allen went out to party with some friends. He became somewhat drunk and by the time he made it home, he was beat. Not bothering to wash up, he went straight to bed, where he crashed out almost immediately, unknowing of what awaited him the next day. 

However, during the night, the goddess of wisdom, Athena, spoke to him to him in a dream. 

"Listen to me, Allen," Athena instructed him. "Your father Zeus has been asking for you. He wants you to taste of the nectar and ambrosia and become one of the immortals." 

"How could I leave now?" Allen asked. "My wedding is tomorrow." 

"That marriage is doomed to failure and will, in fact, be your end. When you killed the centaur Nessus, he told your bride his blood would renew your love for her. She knows you have feelings for someone else. She has already soaked your cloak in the blood and prepared it for tomorrow. But to touch that cloak would kill you instantly. Listen to reason. Come with me." Allen was shocked, but agreed without much need for persuasion. Not only would he be free of his obligations to this wedding he didn't even want, he had finally found a way to meet his beloved Hitomi again. He was awoken to see Athena standing next to him, nectar and ambrosia in her hands. That very night, Allen joined his father on Atlantis.   
  



	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne, the characters, these are copyrighted by their original creators. (I actually don't own the Greek mythology either. Go figure, ne?) 

Ratings/Warnings: Rating is PG. 

Summary: The goddess of spring Hitomi has always led only the most luxurious life atop the mountain of Atlantis... until the day she receives a proposal of marriage from the dismal keeper of the underworld Van. Hitomi is convinced her life is over, but what if Van is not the cold-hearted person she thinks he is? 

---------------------   
Persephone: Chapter 6   
by Katrina Kadabra 

Allen was not about to waste time in taking advantage of his situation. The next morning, he called Hermes in to give him some information. Hermes knew from his talks with Hitomi about his secret passion for her, and frankly saw it as a waste of time. Of course, there was no way he could convince Allen of that. 

"When is Hitomi visiting again?" Allen asked anxiously. 

"Tomorrow," Hermes told him, sighing and rolling his eyes. 

"How long does she stay?" Allen wanted to know. Hermes sighed again, but decided that if Allen wanted to waste all his energy to talk to her, that was his business. 

"She arrives here at dawn on the first day of the week, and Van returns to take her back at dusk on the last." 

"Perfect," said Allen, meaning to say it to himself, but speaking out loud anyway. "Then I've got the entire week to talk to her." He went to bed that night very satisfied and anxiously awaiting the next morning.   
As Hermes had promised, Hitomi arrived with Van at first light the next day. 

* * *

"Honestly dear," the goddess of love sighed. "That lower world doesn't do a thing for your hair." Hitomi sat impatiently waiting for the love and beauty goddess Millerna to finish the treatment that she was so insistent on giving Hitomi every time she visited. "Not to mention your complexion," Millerna went on. She held up Hitomi's pale face in her hand, giving her light brown hair a few more quick, strong strokes with a seashell-shaped comb. Hitomi sighed, not really caring that much what her hair looked like. Unlike Millerna's, it didn't go down to her ankles. She wondered sometimes how the goddess managed not to trip over it. 

"So," said Millerna, now working her way up to the front and touching up Hitomi's bangs. "How are things going for you?" Hitomi shrugged her shoulders. 

"Alright, I suppose," she said. It was not a dishonest answer. 

"Well, you certainly are brave," Millerna went on. "I can't even begin to imagine what it must be like living with Van." She shuddered at the very thought, but Hitomi just shook her head. 

"Actually, it's strange," Hitomi mused. "But the more I get to know him, the more it seems like there's a lighter side to him, a side I've never seen before." 

"A lighter side?" Millerna questioned. "Are we talking about the same Van?" The two girls glanced at each other before breaking into giggles. 

"No, you know what I mean," Hitomi said, gathering herself. "I think Van might really be a warm person inside, he's just afraid to show it." Millerna shrugged her shoulders. 

"Well, he's your husband, so I'll let you be the judge of that." She gave the comb one more good stroke and stood back to admire her work. "Very nice," she said confidently, materializing a mirror in her left hand and holding it out for Hitomi to see. Hitomi glanced in the mirror and she had to agree with Millerna; she certainly did not take her hair-styling job lightly. But still, Hitomi could not stop thinking about Van. Why she was so interested in him, she didn't have a clue. But there had to be some way to get him to warm up to her. While she pondered this, a familiar voice began calling out, 

"Hitomi! Hitomi!" Hitomi turned around to see Hermes in his familiar winged hat and sandals as he rushed up to meet her, hovering in the air. 

"What is it, Hermes?" Hitomi asked curiously. 

"I've got a message," Hermes informed her. "There's someone here who's been waiting to see you." 

"Who?" 

"His name is Allen." 

"What?!" 

Hitomi hurried along after Hermes, as she tried to contemplate what he had just told her. Why would Allen be here on Atlantis of all places? It just didn't make any sense. But, she supposed, her questions would have to be answered soon. Hermes led Hitomi up to the gates of Atlantis, where Allen had already been waiting several hours for her. As they approached, he was joined by Demeter. Right, Hitomi remembered. It was the start of her monthly visit, and her mother would want to see her. Hitomi admitted she wanted to speak with her as well, but the shock of seeing Allen there was testing her curiosity to the limit. So, she politely excused herself and pulled Allen to the side to talk to him privately. 

"What on earth are you doing here?" she demanded. 

"I've been living here for a while," Allen replied, as if it was nothing unusual. "But you didn't come until now." 

"Okay," Hitomi sighed. "So I'm here. What did want to tell me?" Allen drew his breath. This was it; he'd been planning it for a long time. Now was the moment to tell her. 

"I had to see you again," he confessed. "I lov… I mean, I really like you, Hitomi," He figured he was jumping ahead of himself, and it was very true, for Hitomi was completely taken back. 

"I like you too, Allen," she said, unsure of how else to answer. "But you can't keep trying to see me like this." 

"Why not?" 

"Van would have a fit, for one thing," she pointed out. "And there are lots of other goddesses up here that you could see every day, not just once a month." 

"None like you," Allen told her. Hitomi had no comeback for that. She knew it was wrong, but some how or another she found herself in Allen' arms with her lips close to his. Suddenly, she realized what she was about to do and pulled away quickly. 

"What's the matter?" Allen asked. 

"I shouldn't be doing this," she answered, refusing to face him. 

"Why not? We care about each other, right?" 

"But if Van found out…" 

"Who cares if he finds out? You hate him anyway, don't you?" Hitomi did not answer right away, which made Allen very nervous. 

"Don't you?" he demanded. 

"Whether I like him or not doesn't matter, I'm still his wife," she finally said. Allen admired Hitomi's loyalty, but still could not understand why she was so hesitant. Perhaps she doubted him. Perhaps she didn't feel that he would defend her if Van threatened them. 

"I'd protect you," he promised in a soft voice. 

"It's not that," Hitomi whispered back. "It's…" How could possibly explain to Allen everything she had been through? He had no clue what life was like for her. Being robbed of everything important to her, she was not ready for romance in her life. And despite this, she still wasn't even sure how she felt about Van. In either case, as long as she was wed to him, she could go nowhere outside the underworld without his permission. After explaining this to Allen, he seemed to understand. The two of them decided spend the remainder of the day together, and Hitomi agreed to keep visiting Allen as long as there was no romance involved, and for the time being, this suited him just fine. However, things were soon to change.   
  



	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne, the characters, these are copyrighted by their original creators. (I actually don't own the Greek mythology either. Go figure, ne?) 

Ratings/Warnings: Rating is PG. 

Summary: The goddess of spring Hitomi has always led only the most luxurious life atop the mountain of Atlantis... until the day she receives a proposal of marriage from the dismal keeper of the underworld Van. Hitomi is convinced her life is over, but what if Van is not the cold-hearted person she thinks he is? 

---------------------   
Persephone: Chapter 7   
by Katrina Kadabra 

Hitomi had a hard time falling asleep that night. Allen's confession to her had taken her completely off guard; he certainly was forward about his feelings for her. Hitomi wished she could be just as forward with him, but the fact remained that she didn't know how she felt. She was still trying to get over the trauma of being kidnapped in the first place. Though she had to admit, Van did treat her with utmost respect. She hadn't been very kind to him on her arrival, in fact except for that one walk through the Elysian Fields, she was pretty rude. Van had said that he loved her too. But he wasn't like Allen; he didn't go around proclaiming his love so boldly. No, Van was much more subtle than that. Hitomi reasoned he had to be; he'd been put down by the other Olympians for a long time. 

"Still..." Hitomi mused. "He could have been a little kinder. Gotten me flowers and taken me out or something... how does he expect to win a girl over by dragging her down to this place and being so quiet all the time?" Hitomi crossed her arms and blushed at the thought that she might actually want to be won over by Van. 

"Get a grip," she muttered to herself. "You're a spring goddess, and he rules the underworld. You don't need to be satisfied with being wed to him; you shouldn't be. You've got a dashing hero waiting on Atlantis to sweep you away at your word." It was true. Allen would probably fight all the horrors of the underworld to try and take Hitomi. And for now, Hitomi didn't want that. So she decided to play middle of the road for a while longer. At least until she discovered her true feelings. 

"But no more trying to bring out Van's softer side," she reasoned. "If he wants my love so badly, he'll have to show his to me first." Smiling at her unusual assertion on things, Hitomi stood up to go bathe. Only before she got a step out of her room, she suddenly bumped into Hermes. 

"Ow..." the winged god muttered, rubbing his head as he looked up to see who it was he had run into. His face lit up when he saw Hitomi. 

"Hitomi! There you are!" he exclaimed. "You need to come with me right away, Millerna needs your help." 

"To Atlantis?" Hitomi questioned. "But I'm not supposed to be there for another three weeks." 

"I know, and I told Millerna that, but she was very insistent..." 

As they were talking, Van was taking a stroll down the corridor towards Hitomi's room. He wanted to try again to talk to her, but somehow his nerves were getting the better of him. How ironic, he reasoned, that he could stand in the face of the darkness and loneliness of the lower world, yet he couldn't work up the strength to ask Hitomi to take a simple walk with him again? Then again, maybe the darkness made him more comfortable, because it complemented his loneliness. 

As Van approached, he heard two voices talking, one of which he recognized as Hitomi's. He turned the corner to see her talking to the messenger god, who looked very anxious about something. 

"What's going on?" Van asked, walking up to them. 

"Millerna apparently needs my help with something, and wants me to go to Atlantis," Hitomi explained. 

"For what?" Van questioned. Hitomi could tell by the look in his eyes that he wasn't too thrilled with the idea. 

"She didn't say, but she seemed pretty anxious. It won't take but a few minutes." He looked hopefully at Van, who in turn glanced at Hitomi and sighed. 

"Alright, alright. We'll see what she wants. But I'll be the one to take Hitomi there." He held out his arm, and Hitomi took it, much to the relief of Hermes. At least that was one less job he for him to worry about. Meanwhile, as Van escorted her into his black chariot, Hitomi pondered at the thought of what could possibly be so urgent that Millerna would call for her like this. 

"You want us to do what?!" Van exploded. 

"It's just for a few weeks," Millerna pleaded, holding up a bit of a plump but adorable looking toddler into Van's face. "See, look how sweet he is. His name is Chid." 

"I don't care what his name is, we're not you're baby-sitting service," Van asserted. "I've got enough work to do without a little kid to worry about." 

"I can watch him," Hitomi volunteered. She had to admit, Millerna's idea of taking care of her 18-month old nephew was not exactly what she had in mind for help, but she wasn't opposed to it either. Maybe having the little guy around would lighten the tension a bit. Either that or bring more of it, Hitomi wasn't quite sure which. 

"Hitomi..." Van muttered, his cheeks a bit pink. "Don't take this the wrong way, but do you know how to take care of children?" 

"Sure I do," Hitomi replied, taking Chid from Millerna's arms and holding him up in the air. The child giggled. "See, he likes me already." Van rolled his eyes. He really didn't want this job in any way shape or form. Still, it was the first time he had seen Hitomi excited about something since she arrived, and he didn't want to lose that. So it seemed he had no other option but to concede. 

"Two weeks," he said sternly. "You try and leave him with us any longer and I will personally abandon him on Gaia, and don't think I won't." He tried to sound very strict, but Millerna didn't buy it. 

"Of course you won't," she said with a smile. 

While Millerna was babbling off countless instructions, Allen walked over towards Hitomi. As she held Chid who was starting to drift off to sleep, Allen suddenly leaned in towards her face. 

"I know you said you didn't want to pursue anything right now," he said. "And I respect that. But I still need to know your feelings for me. Please be ready when I come with the answer." With that, Allen skillfully leaned back again before Van could notice what he was doing. Hitomi felt herself blushing again. She certainly had gotten herself into the middle of a battle. 

"Hitomi, let's go," Van called. 

"Coming!" Hitomi replied following along after him. Even on the ride back, she still could forget Allen's words. Two weeks. Two weeks to decide her fate, and who she wanted to be with. Hitomi was a little flattered by the whole thing, but also very nervous. She only wished her heart would tell her where her true affections lied.   
  



	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne, the characters, these are copyrighted by their original creators. (I actually don't own the Greek mythology either. Go figure, ne?)   
Ratings/Warnings: Rating is PG. 

Summary: The goddess of spring Hitomi has always led only the most luxurious life atop the mountain of Atlantis... until the day she receives a proposal of marriage from the dismal keeper of the underworld Van. Hitomi is convinced her life is over, but what if Van is not the cold-hearted person she thinks he is? 

Author's Notes: I am very sorry for taking so long to update, everyone. I've been very busy getting ready to leave for Guadalajara for six weeks. But don't worry, the last two chapters are almost done, so they should all be up by the end of this week. Enjoy! 

---------------------   
Persephone: Chapter 8   
by Katrina Kadabra 

The ride back to the underworld was a bit long, at least Hitomi guessed it would be for a small child. To keep him happy, Hitomi bounced Chid up and down on her lap during the trip. As he responded with a chorus of giggles, she assumed it to work well. During the trip down, Hitomi felt a bit nervous; that place she now called her home had intimidated her quite a bit when she first arrived. She hoped it didn't scare Chid too much. 

As soon as they arrived in Van's domain, Hitomi found her fears to be unjustified. The small toddler was far too young to have learned fear, at least of these dismal surroundings. If anything, he seemed to find all the caverns and towers quite fascinating to watch during the trip down the River Styx. 

When the boatride was over, the couple went to Van's throneroom, even though this was usually the time that Hitomi retired to her own quarters. She was the first to admit, she didn't know quite as much about caring for toddlers as Millerna seemed to think. Not that she was going to let Van know that. The first thing she did was sit Chid down on the floor, where he found a smooth stone that shimmered when you turned it the right way. Much to Van and Hitomi's pleasure, this was very entertaining for quite a bit. That was, until it was dinnertime. Chid's complaints began with a low cry that quickly built up into the loudest fit of hysterics either Hitomi or Van had ever heard come out of a child's mouth. 

"Uh-oh," Van muttered to himself as he watched nervously to see what his wife would do. 

Hitomi's initial response was to bounce the child up and down. When that failed, she proceeded to walk him around the room, sing softly, and show him that cute baby in the water's reflection. 

But after ten minutes of trying, Hitomi had no success. 

"Maybe he's hungry?" Van finally suggested. 

"You think so?" Hitomi asked a bit sheepishly. 

"I'll go make sure dinner's prepared," he said. Chid took a deep breath and stuck out his lip. "Quickly," Van added on as he left the room. 

Hitomi chopped up the food finely as she could so the young toddler would not choke on it. She then brought the plate out and set it in front of Chid, along with a small spoon. She and Van stared at each other expectantly. Chid wasn't a baby anymore, but he still needed help being fed. Van was first to try. He dipped the spoon into the food and held it out towards the child. 

"Do you know what you're doing?" Hitomi asked skeptically. 

"No, and by the look on your face, neither do you," Van replied. At that, Chid grabbed the spoon and wrestled it away, sending the bits of food flying into Van's face. Hitomi gasped and awaited her husband's temper, but surprisingly, it did not flare. He only wiped the food away, a bit irritated at himself for getting caught off guard by a toddler, but content nevertheless. 

Hitomi smiled. This was the Van she had been searching for. And for a moment, she forgot her promise to Allen to decide between them. 

* * *

Unfortunately, the peace was not to last. A few short hours after dinner it was time for bed, and Chid was also in desperate need of a diaper change. Of course Hitomi how to change a diaper. It was just that she had yet to tried it on an actual infant. The maneuver didn't start out all that well, as Chid hit his head while Hitomi was laying him down. It was just a little bang, quite a negligible injury, but enough to start Chid up again loud and clear. A large sweatdrop formed on Hitomi's head as she finished the job, but it didn't quite stop the crying. 

"I must look like an idiot," she thought, glancing at Van. But he didn't mock her. Instead, Van stepped in to try and help. 

"Oh, it's okay, it's okay," Van said soothingly, picking up the child and rocking him back and forth. 

Hitomi was rather surprised. She had never seen her husband with so much compassion in him before, or any compassion at all for that matter. But there he sat, with Chid in his arms, perfectly content to care for the child all day, speaking softly to him. 

"Come on, let's get you to bed," he whispered. 

Despite the last-second planning on Millerna's part, Hitomi had still managed to pull together a nursery for Chid to sleep in. After all, Van's palace must have had at least a hundred rooms in it. She just needed to find one the right size to set up the cradle. 

As they entered, Hitomi turned down the light while Van placed the young toddler into the cradle his aunt had given him. Chid was quite exhausted, he had fallen asleep in Van's arms. Gently so as not to disturb him, Van pulled down the covers and laid the child down. Smiling, he gave a small stroke to the little tuft of hair on his head. Hitomi watched her husband with fascination, having noticed something she never expected to see. 

"Are you crying?" she asked, hardly believing she would ever speak these words to him. 

"Well, yes," Van managed to say. "It's just, well, for years now I've watched all the other gods have families. And even though it's only for a few weeks, it's feels like I finally have one of my own. Isn't he beautiful?" Hitomi didn't know if she would go so far as to use that term. He was cute, without a doubt, but beautiful? She had seen creatures much more suited to that term in her heavenly home. Still, looking at from the view of someone who had spent most of his immortal life among the dead, Chid's beauty was not to be underestimated. 

"If you say so," she replied. Van seemed satisfied with that. 

As they left the child to sleep, Hitomi couldn't help but feel this strange sensation of warmth around Van. She had felt it once before. Suddenly Hitomi realized that Van had her arm around her shoulder. And for once, she didn't object. Instead, she gently laid her head on his chest, listening to his soft heartbeat. Perhaps things would work themselves out after all. 

"Van?" she asked quietly. He glanced expectantly down at her. "May I... sleep in your room tonight?" Van smiled. 

"Of course."   
  



	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne, the characters, these are copyrighted by their original creators. (I actually don't own the Greek mythology either. Go figure, ne?)   
Ratings/Warnings: Rating is PG. 

Summary: The goddess of spring Hitomi has always led only the most luxurious life atop the mountain of Atlantis... until the day she receives a proposal of marriage from the dismal keeper of the underworld Van. Hitomi is convinced her life is over, but what if Van is not the cold-hearted person she thinks he is? 

---------------------   
Persephone: Chapter 9   
by Katrina Kadabra 

"Hitomi! You're back!" The goddess of beauty waved to Hitomi as she and her husband pulled up to the gates of Atlantis. Hitomi couldn't believe how the two weeks had just flown by. And every day, Van seemed to grow warmer to her, as if he was showing a genuine love for her. It almost made Hitomi forget the dreariness of the situation she found herself in. Perhaps something deep within her wanted to forget. Or perhaps, even, the situation was not as dreary as she thought it those months ago when she first arrived.   
  
"So, how was he?" Millerna asked as Hitomi handed her nephew over to her. 

"He was very good," Van admitted. While he and Millerna discussed the visit, Hitomi decided to take a bit of a stroll around Atlantis. After all, she still did miss this place. That and she could use the time to think. Van had been so kind and loving to her over the past two weeks, it really made her begin to reshape her feelings and attitude towards him as well. Maybe she really could see herself being his wife. But could Hitomi really give up her dream to be an Atlantian goddess again? Despite any newfound feelings for Van, it wasn't the easiest thing to do. But at least the air of Atlantis help refresh her thoughts. It was only afterwards that Hitomi began to regret her need for her little walk. 

"Hitomi?" Allen's voice anxiously when the underworld goddess turned a corner. Hitomi gasped; she hadn't meant to run into Allen. Now she wished she would have just stayed with Millerna and Van. "You promised you'd tell me who you loved when you returned," Allen reminded her, as if she needed it. "What is your answer?" Hitomi sadly shook her head. 

"I can't answer that," she said hopelessly. "Allen, I just can't." Allen's face fell with disappointment. 

"That isn't fair, Hitomi," he said. He reached out and placed his hands on her shoulders, an action that made Hitomi jump a bit, but she didn't refuse it either. "If you love Van more than me, then my best wishes to you both. But if you don't love him, then why won't you let me into your life? I've given my heart to you, and you won't even respond to it." 

"Allen..." Hitomi sighed. She gazed longingly into Allen's eyes, so kind and full of passion for her. She wanted to love him, wanted to be a goddess of the spring once again. Yet her heart would not allow her to leave Van. Why? 

"Hitomi," Allen replied. Apparently his heart refused to let her go as well. "Hitomi, I love you." With that, he pulled Hitomi in towards her and pressed his lips against hers. For a moment, Hitomi wanted to pull away, but then she felt the warmth of Allen's lips, his skin so vibrant and full of life, not like Van's whose touch was so deathly cold. Why couldn't he be Allen? Why couldn't Van be this dashing Gaian hero who swept her off her feet? 

"Hitomi?" Hitomi's blood van cold as she heard her husband's voice call out to her. "Hitomi, where are you?" Hitomi tried to pull away in time, but it was too late. She glanced over to see Van standing there, heart broken at the sight of his wife in the arms of another. But sorrow quickly turned to anger, as he grabbed Hitomi by the wrist, dragging her back towards his chariot. 

"A little rough there, aren't you?" Allen asked. Van shot a look of fury to his nephew's eyes. 

"You'll pay for this Allen," he muttered, and turned to leave with Hitomi. 

* * * * * 

Hitomi lay in her room, the tears falling uncontrollably. What had she done? Van was finally starting to open up to her, and she had completely betrayed him. Even if Allen was the aggressor, as a wife, Hitomi had failed her husband. Maybe she didn't deserve to be with either man. 

"Hitomi?" Hitomi quickly sat up and dried her eyes as she heard a light knocking on her bedroom door. Van. 

"Yes?" Hitomi answered nervously, unsure of how he was going to react. 

"Don't be afraid, I'm not angry," Van assured her. "I just want to talk. Will you come see me after dinner?" There was a long pause before Hitomi finally answered, 

"Yes, I will." 

* * * * * 

After dinner, Hitomi met with Van as she had promised. For a long time, the two just stood in silence, both paying much more attention to the ground at her feet than each other. Hitomi waited for Van to speak first, she only assumed he would. But the more they stood there, the more Hitomi suspected that, in fact, he brought her out here to speak her mind. She might as well do it with honesty. 

"Van..." she began. 

"I know Allen was pushing you," he said. "I know you wouldn't have done anything like that on your own. But I can't help but feel that maybe... maybe I was pushing you too." Hitomi sighed. It was as if Van was reading completely into her thoughts. She wished she could read his just as well. 

"Tell me, Van," she said, playing with the sash around her waist. "Do you love me?" Van looked at Hitomi in shock, as if to contemplate how she could ask such a question. 

"Of course I do," he said. "More than anything." 

"Then why did you kidnap me that day?" Hitomi asked. Van sighed. 

"I wanted you, and I knew that if I confessed my love, you'd turn away from me." 

"Would I have, Van?" she asked. "If you had approached me open and honestly, if you had showed yourself to me when we first met the way I see you now...?" Hitomi threw up her arms. She knew what she wanted to say, but it was coming out all wrong. She didn't want to be accusing, especially since she was the one who had been unfaithful. But still... 

"If you want to know, I did have some feelings for Allen," she said. "I was enticed by his good looks at first, I guess. And the fact that he came from the upper world, where I desired to be. But as we talked, I found him to be a bit shallow, my heart didn't yearn for him like I hoped it would. But there was one thing. He was honest with me, he confessed his love outright, and then waited for me. I think that's what I saw in him." Hitomi could tell her talk of Allen was getting Van increasingly angry. But somehow, it did not come through in his words. 

"Do you love him?" Van asked quietly. 

Hitomi shook her head. "I don't know," she admitted. "I don't know who I love." 


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne, the characters, these are copyrighted by their original creators. (I actually don't own the Greek mythology either. Go figure, ne?) 

Ratings/Warnings: Rating is PG. 

Summary: The goddess of spring Hitomi has always led only the most luxurious life atop the mountain of Atlantis... until the day she receives a proposal of marriage from the dismal keeper of the underworld Van. Hitomi is convinced her life is over, but what if Van is not the cold-hearted person she thinks he is? 

---------------------   
Persephone: Chapter 10   
by Katrina Kadabra 

The next morning, Van called Hitomi in to speak with him. 

"It's about you and Allen." Hitomi nodded to acknowledge him, nervous as to where this conversation was leading. Meanwhile, Van prepared himself for something more difficult than he ever had before. 

"You'd be happier with him, wouldn't you?" 

Hitomi gasped. "What do you mean?" 

"I mean, would you be happier living with him on Atlantis rather than with me?" 

"Of course not," Hitomi answered immediately, making Van all the more doubtful that she wasn't being completely honest with him. 

"I'm serious, Hitomi. I don't want you answering just to please me. I have to know the truth. Where would you honestly be happier?" Hitomi now realized where this conversation was heading. She had been waiting and hoping for this opportunity and now that it was finally being offered to her, she was finding it difficult to accept. 

"Let... let me think about it," she said quietly. Van nodded and left her. 

"Very well." 

Hitomi sat alone in the room, as the thoughts ran wildly through her head. Van was letting her go - she could return to Atlantis. She would never have to see this dismal lower world again. But then, she would also have to leave Van and give herself to Allen. Hitomi rubbed her head. Why did that thought bother her? Allen had everything - looks, charm, and a noble birth. There was no logical reason why she should not be happy with in. Only a single, perhaps somewhat illogical reason that had been there all along and that Hitomi now finally came to realize. 

"I love Van," she whispered to herself. "I like Allen, but he isn't my love. I only wanted him to get me back to Atlantis." 

Hitomi jumped up and ran out, searching for Van. When she found him, Hitomi ran crying into his arms. 

"I'm sorry!" she cried. "Van, I'm so sorry for putting you through all that." Van smiled and stroked her hair. 

"It's okay, Hitomi, calm down." 

Hitomi took a few deep breaths and managed to get herself under control. "I do love you, Van," she said. "Very much. I don't want to be with anyone expect you. I'm just sorry it took me so long to understand that." 

"It's okay," said Van, a smile beaming in his heart. "Hitomi, you've taught me so much. As cold as I was, yet you still opened up to me." He embraced her once again. "I love you. And I'm glad you've made your decision. But now, you will have to tell Allen." Hitomi gulped. This wasn't something she was looking forward to. 

* * *

On the mountain of Atlantis, Hitomi stood directly across from her Gaian hero. Nervously, she gripped her hands together. Van was waiting for her at the gates, waiting for her to deliver her final decision. 

"You've decided to stay with Van?" Allen asked, a bit shocked. Hitomi nodded. 

"Yes," she said quietly. 

"But what about us?" Allen took a hold of Hitomi's shoulders, forcing her to look him in the eyes. Hitomi wanted to cry; this was already hard enough without Allen being so forceful. 

"Oh, Allen," she sighed. "You know I really do care about you, but..." her voice seemed to trail off. "But I love Van." At that, Allen released her arms. 

"I see," he said quietly. "So that's what you came here to tell me." Hitomi nodded. She felt terrible for letting Allen down like this, but she couldn't go on pretending she had feelings for them both. At some point or another, one had to stay and the other leave. Now was that time. 

"Then, I wish you two the best of luck," Allen said, surprisingly cheerful. He had been up and down the road of love a couple of time and had no regrets. Hitomi had made her decision, and there was no going back on it." Be happy, Hitomi," he said. And with that, Allen turned and walked slowly back to his chambers. Hitomi wanted to call out as she watched him leave, the weight of her heart sinking deeper into her chest. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Hitomi gasped and turned around. 

"Millerna?" 

"If you're think of feeling guilty, don't," the goddess instructed her. "This may be hard now, but Allen will move on. That's how love works. There's give and take, and gain and loss, and a whole host of other emotions mixed in there. The point is, you've found the man you want to be with. And you're happy." 

Hitomi smiled and turned around to see Van standing at the gate waiting for her. Happy. Yes, that was the only word that could describe how she felt with him. Hitomi ran up and embraced Van in her arms, feeling his warmth. Their lips found each other in a passion that would never be severed. Although her former hero would always be dear to her heart, Hitomi treasured even more the love she had found in the one who had given her the freedom to choose. 

The End!   


**Author's Notes:** _Well, that's it. What does everyone think? I know the ending was a little rushed, but it was that or leave it unfinished for six weeks while I'm away. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed it. Thanks so much for the reviews! They mean a ton to me!___

_-Katrina (www.katrinasforest.com)_   



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